Oh no, you're thinking, yet another cookie pop-up. Well, sorry, it's the law. We measure how many people read us, and ensure you see relevant ads, by storing cookies on your device. If you're cool with that, hit “Accept all Cookies”. For more info and to customize your settings, hit “Customize Settings”.

Review and manage your consent

Here's an overview of our use of cookies, similar technologies and how to manage them. You can also change your choices at any time, by hitting the “Your Consent Options” link on the site's footer.

Manage Cookie Preferences
  • These cookies are strictly necessary so that you can navigate the site as normal and use all features. Without these cookies we cannot provide you with the service that you expect.

  • These cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are properly displayed for advertisers, and in some cases selecting advertisements that are based on your interests.

  • These cookies collect information in aggregate form to help us understand how our websites are being used. They allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our sites. If people say no to these cookies, we do not know how many people have visited and we cannot monitor performance.

See also our Cookie policy and Privacy policy.

This article is more than 1 year old

CoreOS debuts 'self-driving' Kubernetes

Tectonic software shifts to free for up to 10 nodes

CoreOS, maker of a minimalist version of Linux and software for containers, has made Tectonic, its Kubernetes management application, capable of automatically updating K8s clusters.

It also made Tectonic free for up to 10 nodes. Previously the software had to be acquired through contact with the company's sales department. Now it's available for download to those who have created Tectonic accounts.

In a phone interview with The Register today, Alex Polvi, CEO of CoreOS, said adding the ability to update distributed clusters is "one of the most technically sophisticated things we've ever built."

The challenge might be likened to renovating a house while living inside it: Replacing the floor you're standing on requires finesse.

CoreOS describes Tectonic as "self-driving" infrastructure that can help organizations keep Kubernetes deployments patched and secure.

The term "self-driving" has a certain cachet in Silicon Valley, thanks to Google, Tesla, and Uber, among others. While it may imply more intelligence than "automated" – a synonym suggesting rote responses – the distinction dies on impact with reality: The fatal crash of a Tesla under Autopilot control in June made it clear that self-driving technology, under any name, isn't necessarily safe.

Alongside more timely access to software improvements from the open source community, Polvi said security represents one of the primary motivations for introducing automated updating in Tectonic.

Pointing to the "onslaught of security updates" faced by IT administrators, Polvi said, "Whenever there's one of these bugs, IT personnel have to stop what they're doing and fix it. We believe that's one of the core reasons the internet is broken. If we can automate those fire drills, it will benefit companies and the internet at large."

At the same time, Polvi acknowledges that Tectonic's auto-updating capability isn't yet safe enough for production usage, calling it an alpha release. "It's like when Tesla introduced its Autopilot feature, they didn't remove the steering wheel from the car," he said.

CoreOS also said it has contributed several improvements coming in Kubernetes 1.5 in a few weeks. These include: scheduling improvements; etcd v3 speed improvements; container image policies; and easier testing and installation. ®

Similar topics

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like